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Forgot to post about this before but I figure everyone here probably heard about this on social media or otherwise. Microsoft hosted a pretty big sale for Xbox One Backward Compatible games, pretty much all of them, I believe, and most are super cheap.
Anyhow, the sale ends tonight, so I picked up a bunch of stuff. Here's what I got:
Blue Dragon - $5
Earthworm Jim HD - $2.50 (I think?)
LEGO Indiana Jones - $5
Mirror's Edge - $5
Splosion Man - $2.50
Ms. Splosion Man - $2.50
Stacking - $3.74
Tron Evolution - $3.74
Not too bad for around $30, I guess? Who knows when I'll get to them, but at least it feels good to have a solid backlog of games to play on the Xbox One now, ha.
Did you guys buy any games from the sale?

Microsoft has announced the Games With Gold lineup for March and... well...
...it honestly doesn't do anything for me.
I'm not interested in the least in any of these games, unfortunately, and unless you're into horror or shooter games, your mileage may vary.
Evolve might make for an interesting game night, but didn't they shut the servers for that down? I guess not if it's a GWG game (since that's the only way it can be played, I think?).
I think everyone has played Borderlands 2 by now, and I'm not sure what Heavy Weapon is but chances are I won't ever play that one.
In any case, sorry for being a Debbie Downer but what do you guys make of this lineup?

Gotta admit, February's Games With Gold lineup is pretty solid, even if people may already own at least two of these games.
Lovers in a Dangerous Space Time
Project Cars
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Lovers in a Dangerous Space Time is supposed to be a pretty cool co-op game, so I'm looking forward to checking that one out. Project Cars is something I've been wanting to try for a while, and I'm betting we're pretty close to the sequel coming out.
Also, somehow I haven't played The Force Unleashed yet, so I'll probably do that here.
What do you guys think of the February lineup?

First there was Skylanders. Then came Disney Infinity. And now, gamers are in the midst of Amiibo madness. But you'll soon be able to welcome another series to the genre: LEGO Dimensions.
The idea behind this particular game has many different LEGO properties combining into one, such as The LEGO Movie, The Lord of the Rings, DC Comics, The Wizard of Oz, Back to the Future, and the LEGO Ninjago line. And like Skylanders and Disney Infinity before it, players will use a special platform peripheral to bring interactive LEGO minifigs to life on-screen.
LEGO Dimensions will roll out with a starter pack costing $99.99 and which includes the game, the LEGO Toy Pad (which brings characters to life), and three minifigs (Gandalf, Batman, and Wyldstyle from the LEGO Movie). There will also be Level Packs costing $29.99, Team Packs costing $24.99, and $14.99 Fun Packs that contain a variety of interactive characters, vehicles, and gadgets.
Interestingly enough, the Starter Pack will continue to work with future expansion packs, negating any need for compatibility charts, according to Warner Bros.; something that will no doubt be a huge plus for many people.
Compared to Skylanders and Disney Infinity, LEGO Dimensions is definitely sitting at a premium price point, but no doubt Warner Bros. Interactive is looking to capitalize on LEGO's huge franchise appeal to draw people in despite the extra $20 people will be paying for the starter set.
You can expect to see the game hit stores this Fall on September 27 on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and 4, and Wii U.
Source: WIRED
Are you interested in or excited for LEGO Dimensions?

Many fans are already aware that LEGO Jurassic World is the next LEGO game on the dock from TT Games, set to coincide with the upcoming blockbuster movie of the same name (minus the LEGO part). Today, Warner Bros. revealed a first look trailer which reveals what we can expect to see in the game.
Surprisingly, the trailer is light on actual content from Jurassic World and instead reveals a fairly surprising element: the gameplay actually spans the entire four movies in the series rather than just the new film. You'll play such characters as Alan Grant, Ian Malcom, and more as you make your way through some of the films' most classic moments (the T-Rex chase, raptors in the compound, etc.), and it will all be tied to the movies' voice track and music as well.
While the game will take you to several of the different islands (such as Isla Nubar and Isla Sorna), it's unclear whether each will have an open-world element to them such as previous LEGO games have. Either way, with four movies to cover, LEGO Jurassic World is bound to have a ton of content to play through.
LEGO Jurassic World is slated for release on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, 3DS, PS Vita, and PC this June.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsCO_h8qVpQ
Source: Press Release
Are you looking forward to LEGO Jurassic World?

Developer: WayForward
Publisher: Little Orbit
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, 3DS
Release Date: November 18, 2014
ESRB: E 10+
This review is based on the PS3 version of the game
Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom is the third WayForward-developed video game in the series in three years, but the first with newer publisher Little Orbit at the helm. It also represents yet another genre spin on the series; whereas Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?! was inspired by Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link, and last year's Explore the Dungeon BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW was a riff on Gauntlet and dungeon-crawlers in general, Nameless Kingdom turns once again to Zelda for inspiration in its design—this time, the classic, top-down formula. What results is possibly the best Adventure Time game to date, even if it doesn't reach the Zelda series' lofty heights.
Let's get one thing straight—The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom isn't just inspired by Zelda; it could rightly be called a re-skinned Zelda game. There are many glaring similarities to the series in general, but even more so to one specific title—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I won't list every similarity in this review, but WayForward definitely walks a thin line between paying homage to the source material and producing a very close reproduction of it. All that said, this isn't necessarily a terrible thing as far as gameplay goes; not at all, especially given the Zelda series' high pedigree. And given Adventure Time's general outlandish and spoofy nature, much of the game's design could be seen largely as an affectionate parody.
Nameless Kingdom's plot sees Finn and Jake traveling to the eponymous land at the bequest of Princess Bubblegum. It turns out the kingdom's three princesses have gone missing right before the coronation ceremony to determine which of them will be the ruler, and it's up to Finn and Jake to find them and make things right. Cliche story aside, I actually enjoyed the three princesses and their differing personalities a lot, especially the hippy dippy Slumber Princess, and the Lullaby Princess, who sings all of her words. Outside of the three new princesses and the Peppermint Butler (who acts as a sort of royal officiary), all other characters are basically familiar faces from the TV show that you'll encounter around the Nameless Kingdom.
The whole overworld is laid out in a somewhat similar fashion to Hyrule in A Link to the Past, where the main castle is dead center in the middle of the map; only three different areas surround it here, though. And much like the aforementioned game, only part of the overworld is available to explore at first as Nameless Kingdom follows the same system of gradual progression and unlocking areas through the use of new abilities and tools that the Zelda series is known for. In this aspect, the game succeeds extraordinarily well; there are enough characters, hidden areas, and sidequests (usually fetch quests) to keep things relatively interesting for the most part. The only issue is that I regularly found it difficult to figure out what the game wanted me to do in order to proceed to the next area or dungeon; it was only after scouring the entire available area and seeing much of everything that I was able to determine exactly what to do. There are few hints available and such, which the game definitely needed at times.
Dungeons themselves (of which there are four altogether) play out exactly in the same formula as Zelda dungeons do. You'll explore different rooms to find keys that unlock doors elsewhere, fight and defeat all of the enemies in certain rooms so that the door unlocks (or so that a chest appears), push boxes onto switches that deactivate spikes or barriers, and more. There's even a unique skill that Jake will learn in each that will help Finn get past an obstacle that he might not have been able to pass by before. And, of course, there is a map, compass, and boss door key to be found too. That said, the dungeons themselves aren't half-bad; they don't quite have the same memorable quality that some Zelda dungeons do, but Wayforward could have done a lot worse.
While the game does a competent job of imitating Zelda's gameplay, the best aspect of it is its representation of the Adventure Time world. There's much more interaction with different characters from the show than in previous titles and they're all fully voiced by the show's voice actors, which really helps to sell the experience of being in that world. It also nails the humor and attitude of the show as well; there are a number of great moments in the game that are pretty hilarious, from a teddy bear rave cave to many of the inane things Lullaby Princess and Slumber Princess say, riffs on classic Zelda tropes, Marceline's interesting cameo, and much more. The whole game feels like it could be an episode of Adventure Time, and that's a great thing to see.
On the downside, some assets are re-used from last year's less-than-stellar Explore The Dungeon BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW, including most character sprites, enemy sprites, and items, though the environments are all-new. Character sprites in particular still have a somewhat pixelated look to them, even in the console version, which makes me think that the lead version being developed was the 3DS version. In fact, the game looks to be built on the same exact engine as Explore the Dungeon's, which is understandable given the short amount of development time between games, but somewhat disappointing as the two do look extremely similar because of this.
In the end, Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom is easily the best of the three Adventure Time titles that have come out on major consoles and handhelds thus far, even if its gameplay and design doesn't reach the Zelda series' level of greatness. It's entertaining, humorous, and there's a surprising amount of secret areas to explore and sidequests to take on in the overworld, which makes uncovering all of The Nameless Kingdom's secrets a lot of fun. In fact, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it by the time the credits rolled. That said, if you're merely looking for a great Zelda experience, you may want to hold out for the next Zelda title in development for Wii U to release, but if you're a fan of Adventure Time itself and want a fairly good game that represents the show well, you may find a lot to like here.
Pros
+ Great voice-acting and presentation
+ Great use of Adventure Time characters and gags
+ There are a number of secret areas and sidequests to undertake, which help give the game more depth and exploration.
Cons
- Some reused assets from the last game
- Game doesn't always make it obvious what you should do or where you should go.
Overall Score: 7 (out of 10)
Good
Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom is the best Adventure Time game so far, and a competent, if uninspired, Zelda clone. But what it lacks in unique gameplay design, it makes up for with its great presentation, humor, and interaction with different Adventure Time characters.
Disclosure: This game was reviewed using downloadable PS3 code provided by the publisher.

Ori and the Blind Forest was one of the best looking new games shown during Microsoft's press conference at E3 2014; however, it looks like you'll be waiting a little bit longer to play it than previously expected.
Moon Studios announced the delay on their website today, saying that they made the decision along with Microsoft Game Studios in order to put the final layer of polish on what they hope will be an "unforgettable experience." In the meantime, you can check out a new gameplay footage below.
Ori and the Blind Forest will now be coming to Xbox One and PC in early 2015, with an Xbox 360 release following later in the year.
Source: OriBlindForest.com
What are your thoughts on the delay?

Assassin's Creed: Rogue may be just for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this year, but come next year, Ubisoft has announced that the title will also be coming to PC.
Fans might remember that Assassin's Creed: Rogue was actually developed for 360 and PS3 so last-generation console owners wouldn't feel left out, but whether it will eventually make its way to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 remains to be seen.
In the meantime, Xbox One and PS4 owners need not fret as they'll be getting their own unique game in the series, Assassin's Creed: Unity, which will be coming out for both in November.
As for Rogue, a new story trailer was released today which highlights its main character, Shay, and how he ended up becoming a templar. You check it out below.
Source: Polygon
Are you looking forward to Assassin's Creed: Rogue coming to PC in 2015?

Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Atlus USA
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: September 30, 2014
ESRB: T for Teen
This review is based on the PS3 version of the game
It always seemed strange to me that the teenagers of Persona 3 and Persona 4 who had difficulty standing on their own two feet in turn-based battle have transitioned to full-fledged badasses by the hand of Arc System System Works. Yet, just like that, Persona 4 Arena was that peanut butter & jelly combination that fans of the classic Persona 3 & 4 RPGs did not know they wanted it until the series arrived as a fighter.
As with fighting game tradition, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax serves as both a direct sequel and an enhanced release two years after the original P4A debut. Is it worth it to take another admission to the P-1 Grand Prix or can one only hope that its Dark Hour quickly passes?
Like the original release, Ultimax continues the smart approach of bridging the gap between fans of fighters and those well-versed with the RPGs. The P-1 Grand Prix Tournament returns once again, taking place only a few days after the events in Persona 4 Arena. General Teddie forcibly summons the cast from Persona 3 & 4 to participate in this tournament by enveloping the town of Inaba in a eerie red fog, reminiscent of P3's Dark Hour, and threatens to destroy the world in one hour if they fail to do so.
As you would expect from the storytelling, it is told as a fairly in-depth visual novel, with the occasional fight, and it is dense with callbacks to the RPGs. Just be warned, Ultimax“s plot has a much bigger disregard toward spoilers for both P3/P4. If you haven“t played either of P3/P4 to completion (or at all) you probably should not even consider touching Ultimax“s story until doing so, especially since the RPG stories are way better told.
For as big of a fan as I may be towards P3/P4, I had pretty fundamental problems with the storytelling in the original Persona 4 Arena. This is primarily because of how P4A was written in way that characters from both entries honestly felt like caricatures of themselves, where significant character development from the original games was disregarded and how much time they spent retreading old story devices and jokes. Ultimax pays more respect to how the cast are written and has better pacing than Arena, but it still falls under a pretty redundant, predictable, and heavy-handed overall storytelling procedure. Not unlike the villain, Sho, I became rather fatigued by the end of it because of how much the phrases â€œfriendsâ€ and â€œbondsâ€ were regurgitated, almost as if Tetsuya Nomura fed them lines in the script.
At the end of the day, though, I still really enjoy Persona 4 Arena Ultimax as a fighter. It“s frenetic, very stylish, visually stunning, has tight controls that are easy to learn, and Ultimax is just a ton of fun to play almost regardless of skill level. Of course, there is a lot of depth to it in spite of its more intended approachable design. But, as most who know about series are probably already aware of those things and are wondering what is actually new with this release. What is new aside from the storytelling is the changes to modes, additional characters, general re-balancing, shadow forms, and a ton of fanservice laced throughout.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax has at this point gotten pretty close to having almost every main character from P3/P4 playable with few exceptions. Most of the new characters play quite varied and bolster the roster by eight more from P4A, three of which are technically DLC. In the game by default are new characters like archer/actress Yukari; the enthusiastic baseball coach Junpei; the duo of the spear-user Ken and his knife-wielding dog companion Koromaru; the bubbly idol Rise; and lastly, the villain figure (shadow) Sho Minazuki, who teleports around and slashes foes with his dual katanas. From a roster that was arguably too small in P4A, the new characters serve as very welcome and enjoyable additions in Ultimax, even those unfortunately relegated to paid DLC. Atlus USA also went the extra mile during localization by bringing English voice talents from the original RPGs, which hits a soft nostalgic place for me as a fan.
It is a shame that the Shadow characters and (normal) Sho Minazuki are not as interesting or, arguably, as enjoyable as the main cast. Shadow characters are basically clones that play as faster, but generally weaker, versions of most characters with a new combo-centric mechanic called â€œShadow Frenzyâ€. Despite some occasionally neat stuff, like special intro/victory poses, most Shadow characters feel like an afterthought and are generally just less viable to play as in the current release.
Due to narrative context, there are also two versions of the character called Sho Minazuki. Unlike the character Labrys, who has a counterpart that plays fundamentally different, (normal) Sho Minazuki and (shadow) Sho Minazuki don't exactly feel that way. (Normal) Sho Minazuki doesn“t have a persona and feels really out of place because of it, especially when (shadow) Sho Minazuki has a relatively similar moveset, in addition to a fairly cool Persona which changes it up a lot.
Online play in Ultimax is structured pretty much identically to Blazblue: Chrono Phantasma“s, which is a very good thing. The nifty lobby structure returns, which has custom player avatars roam around a virtual arcade, and also initiating specific ranked/player matches is still pretty seamless as you play the other modes (except story, unfortunately). Thankfully, the netcode is still excellent and, like the original, is the best I have ever seen in a 2D fighter. One cool aspect that sort of stood out to me is that certain unlocks also occur as you are playing online matches, so players don't have to complete the fiendish Score Attack modeâ€¦ as much for extra content.
Aside from netplay enhancements, the only mode that is actually completely new is Golden Arena. This mode brings an RPG progression to what would otherwise seem like a standard survival mode in other titles. Just like the RPGs you can level up and distribute stats, as well choose which passive abilities you want to slot in with a lot of familiar Shin Megami Tensei spell/skill names. It is presented in a nostalgic way, but I wish it had more variety overall, opposed to pure back to back fighting with the occasional "level-up", since it feels like it has a lot of potential as an interesting time-sink.
Every other mode is what you'd expect from most fighters and have received fairly subtle to negligible changes; the only difference that stood out to me was that Score Attack is no longer purely unapologetic SNK Boss Syndrome and has now toggleable difficulties. That said, my favorite, seemingly throwaway detail added to the options is being able to change the main menu as well as online lobby music to the fairly huge song selection from both P3/P4 as well as the original Arena and Ultimax tracks.
To this date, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax remains as easily one the strongest examples of a licensed property in a fighting game space. Your mileage may vary from what you get out of the in-depth visual novel storytelling, even as a fan of the RPGs, but in every other regard it is more than up to snuff as a fighter considering the high quality bar of its source material. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax doesn't boldly go past the original foundation too much as a whole, but it still proves itself as quite a thoroughly enjoyable fighter.
Pros:
+ Very frenetic, accessible, and yet surprisingly deep core gameplay
+ Most new characters are very fun to play
+ Better storytelling than Persona 4 Arena
+ Online play is well-designed and overall netcode is excellent
Cons:
- Storytelling is predictable and heavy-handed
- Shadow characters and (normal) Sho Minazuki don't add much to the game
- Golden Arena mode could be more fleshed out
Overall Score: 8.5 (out of 10)
Great
While not necessarily the biggest step forward in terms of overall content, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax should delight series fans, both old and new, as a worthwhile enhanced release of an already great fighter.
Disclosure: This game was reviewed using downloadable PS3 code provided by the publisher.

Ever since video games were first introduced to the masses well over one hundred years ago, the people working behind the scenes on them have been tasked with a never ending mission to make those games even more amazing than anyone ever thought possible.
And so far, they've done a pretty great job at that. But the people behind the scenes of the behind the scenes people? They seem to hate you but love your money, and will stop at nothing to take it from you.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some games released in the last decade that could end up costing you a fortune in the event that you wanted to own the full game for some reason. But who really wants that?
Team Fortress 2
Surely this will protect me from snipers.
In development for nearly a decade, Team Fortress 2 finally saw it's release in 2007 with it's inclusion in Valve's Orange Box bundle. The game saw a constant stream of updates over the years that added new weapons, levels, the ability to craft items and most importantly, hats. While normal players are able to craft most hats with enough time and effort, there are special hats known as Unusuals. The only way to get an unusual is to pay actual money to get a key which is then used to open a randomly dropped box to have an extremely slim chance at getting one.
These unusual hats are identical to normal hats, except for the fact that they're given one random visual effect. These can range from smiley faces to flames shooting from your character's head. Some of these effects are rarer than others and make them even more desired. Why is all of this so important? Well, Valve released a store where you can use real money to buy these unusual hats from other people instead of going through hundreds of keys looking for your own random drop. These hats can range in price from about fifty dollars up to a few thousand each. If you wanted to own every single hat in the game, you could either drop the cost of a house on the virtual market, or gamble it all on keys that cost $2 a piece and just hope you get them before you run out of money.
Dead or Alive 5
Hey, I'm not happy about this either.
Now, I've got no problem with fan service. If you want your character running around in a bikini or loincloth, then so be it. But there comes a point where people start to realize that you're really milking it, and that can't be more obvious than with the game Dead or Alive 5. In the old times before downloadable content you would have more than twenty costumes waiting on the disc for the playable characters. Of course, that wasn't always the case, but the fact is that they came included with no strings attached.
With Dead or Alive 5, this changed drastically. The average character had about seven costumes in the newest release of the series which was understandable due to the new engine being used and all of the assets being remade. But then came the DLC costumes. Just around $115 worth the first time around. Including the cost of the game, that is $175 altogether. Then Team Ninja went and released Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate. The same game with added costumes and game balancing tweaks. Instead of making this an addon or DLC pack in itself, it was considered a totally new game. So if you bought that $60 version, you officially no longer mattered.
To get access to the rest of the game, you now needed to spend an extra $40 for stuff you already bought with a few extras thrown in. Then began the second round of DLC costumes. It is difficult to add up just how much these new ones cost because of different bundles containing the same costumes multiple times and as of yet unreleased DLC, but the number is already over $250. That is after buying what was supposed to be the ultimate version of the game that included everything!
NOTE: These prices were obtained by going through the PlayStation 3's digital store and adding the cost together manually.
Dungeon Keeper
EA still thinks this is something to strive for.
Back in the 90's, Bullfrog was a niche studio that pumped out some of the best city management games ever created. Theme Hospital, Startopia, and of course, Dungeon Keeper. Electronic Arts saw this company of plucky do-gooders and promptly destroyed them for no reason at all. Thanks a lot for ruining everything as always, EA. But there was a glimmer in this story of death and destruction. Dungeon Keeper actually got it's long awaited sequel in Dungeon Keeper 2!
Only, it was on iOS devices and terrible in every single conceivable way. Garnering an impressive zero out of a possible ten on it's review, I've never seen a fanbase react so poorly to a game before, not even a truly awful game like Big Rigs is as hated as the new Dungeon Keeper, and for good reason. At least Big Rigs understood it was one of the worst games ever and embraced it's fate. EA is just covering it's ears and ignoring everyone's criticisms. And what criticisms are those?
Once again micro-transactions rears its ugly head. In an effort to squeeze every bit of dollar out of players, it takes actual real life hours for you to complete even the most simple task, and the only way around this time barrier is to spend gems. Gems of course cost real money, and the cost of about 100 actions is $60. Don't want to spend $60 for an hour or two of gameplay? Then just the act of clearing out eight blocks will take you as long as 48 hours. That is before you even start building the room. Do yourself a favor and just buy the original Dungeon Keeper games. They're less than $12 combined and hours of fun.
The Sim 3
Sims 2 Pets? Sims 3 Pets?! Its the same thing! I invented the piano key necktie! I invented it!
Have you ever wanted complete control over someone else's life, but didn't want to have to deal with all that stalking and law breaking stuff? Well then, The Sims series is absolutely for you. In the span of a few hours you can raise an entire family and then laugh as you lock one of your eighteen sons in a windowless room so Death can't take him from you. Or you can go to college, there's that too. At least if you're willing to pay, that is.
The Sims series has been no stranger to add-ons and expansions. Going all the way back to the year 2000, the original Sims saw seven expansion packs before The Sims 2 released. The Sims 2 was then followed by eight expansions. The Sims 3, however, has seen a whopping eleven expansion packs so far, and it is currently unknown if it will get more before The Sims 4 releases with it's own series of expansions that will end up being nearly identical to the expansions released for the last Sims game. Now, just how much do all these expansions end up costing the average gamer?
Try an amazing total of $370. All money spent to watch your fake family go to new towns and do new things. Money that could have easily been spent doing new and cool things with your real family. Of course I'm not one to judge, seeing as I have most of those expansions myself... but you get the point. It is a lot to spend on just making your ants happy.
Rock Band
A fake guitar made to look like another fake guitar.
If you have a closet filled with tiny plastic instruments, then you probably know about the music game fad that hit in the mid 2000's with games like Guitar Hero and, of course, Rock Band. While you probably hung up your guitar years ago, the genre is still going strong and new DLC was released on a weekly basis for the games up until a short while ago. Remember, I said that this fad started in the mid 2000's. That's a lot of weeks passing by with new songs coming out. Just how many songs can you buy?!
While the Rock Band series has stopped releasing DLC, they left behind a list of DLC that numbers in the thousands. And with each song averaging a price of $2 each you can see why this is going to get expensive, very very quickly. Of course, you also have to buy the instruments that come with each iteration of the game and pay a fee to get the songs you already bought for the previous game into the new one so the price you have to pay is rising all the time. Thankfully, you don't have to buy all these songs, but if you want the full Rock Band experience, be ready to shell out close to three thousand dollars on songs alone. At that point I'd suggest just buying a real guitar and getting lessons.
EVE Online
We're all having so much fun!
Let's raise the stakes, shall we? EVE Online is a massively multiplayer online game that puts you in the seat of your very own ship to do whatever you want to do in the galaxy. What this means is that you'll be mining a whole lot and hoping that pirates don't wipe you off the Galactic map because, of course, there are pirates. It's space we're talking about here. The special thing about EVE Online, however, is the fact that it has a real money system. The profits you make in the game can be converted to real world funds and vice versa, though the exchange rate of in-game funds is obviously far less than USD worth. But if you do well enough in the game, you can actually make yourself wealthy in the real world as well.
While that sounds great, it also means that things in the game can have real world prices as well. Say, a heavily guarded ship filled with supplies could be worth more than fifteen thousand dollars. If it gets blown up, that is $15,000 down the drain with no way of getting it back. Things like this happen a lot in the game of EVE Online, and just recently a very large war broke out. The game's stock market momentarily nose dived as two factions fought it out in the cold dark reaches of space.
At the moment, their battle has cost the two sides the insanely high sum of nearly $300,000 in real money. This is due to all of the supplies and ships being sent out to battle. Each ship has a real cost, and the most powerful can get into the tens of thousands of dollars. When one of those goes, its a big deal. And quite a few have been lost already. There is no other game in existence that can boast that wars actually have an impact on the userbase in the same way that EVE does, and that is why it is so fantastic. Do you want to become an intergalactic spice baron? Then be prepared to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars. I'm sure it'll be worth it. As always, thanks for reading.

Aaaaaand the other thing I saw that excited me incredibly was the reveal of this game. This means we potentially have up to 3 Resident Evil games launching in 2015. Resident Evil REmake HD, Resident Evil 7 (confirmed to have been in the works since October of 2012,) and now this.
Again, like the Persona 5 announcement trailer, let's discuss. I wanted to make a few separate threads for these just because when you have one big news post it can tend to get a little cluttered in terms of comments. I know it's literally just a concept trailer that shows nothing except that the game exists, but I'm happy it does. Revelations was a step back in the right direction in terms of Resident Evil. While it may not have been perfect, and I actually would have preferred it as Co-Op, it definitely impressed me. How about you guys? Thoughts, concerns, comments?

It was originally remade for the Gamecube some 12 years ago but now Capcom is finally remaking the original Resident Evil for the modern era. This new versioin of the game will feature enhanced textures, resolutions, 1080p support on next generation consoles, classic and enhanced control schemes, the option to choose 4:3 or 16:9 widescreen aspect ratios, and even remastered sound with 5.1 surround support.
Of course, the story involves the origin of the whole saga, with the player taking on the role of S.T.A.R. team members Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine as they investigate the disappearance of Bravo Team in Raccoon City and must survive their way through the mysterious mansion there.
No release date or pricing has been announced just yet, but you'll be able to buy Resident Evil digitally in early 2015.
Source: Press Release
Are you interested in replaying Resident Evil on today's consoles?

TT Games has a recognizable formula with their ever-popular LEGO titles, but their distinctive formula continues to evolve with each new license and generation of console. The traditional cooperative gameplay still provides one of the best co-op experiences to date and goes so far as to transcend generational divides.
The path that lies ahead for licensed LEGO games can only be determined by taking into consideration past adventures. Changes in the radial menu, dynamic split-screen game play and expansion to a world beyond a stale hub are just a few examples of how TT Games is constantly searching out areas of improvement for their craft. One of the most prolific changes has been the evolution in the way the stories unfold.
Familiar Surroundings Made Better
The standard hubs found in LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Star Wars appear as little more than a relic when placed side-by-side with the overworld experiences found in LEGO The Lord of the Rings and LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes. This alteration truly broadened the potential for all future LEGO games by expanding the experience beyond the confines of a story mission. Unfortunately, licensed LEGO games fall into the same pitfalls as any other multiple platform title and are typically held back by the constraints of the weaker systems.
A compelling argument can be made that much of the squandered potential in the original LEGO Batman and LEGO Indiana Jones were a result of reluctance to abandon the Playstation 2 and Nintendo's Wii. This reluctance, however, is based in a reality where the consoles still held a significant market share well into the life cycle of the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The Playstation 2 and Wii are completely out of the picture for development purposes and companies that thrive on easily ported games now find themselves with a set of more powerful base systems to thoroughly explore. Although the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 will likely remain the base launching platform for most upcoming LEGO titles, despite the existence of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, the margin for potential is greater than ever before.
TT Games officially wrapped their release of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes in late 2013, but were already neck-deep in studs with The LEGO Movie Videogame and LEGO: The Hobbit. The media focus may be on the new generation of consoles, but the next few projects will undoubtedly play a major role in determining the viability of future licensed LEGO brands in console video games. Recent upgrades in the TT Games formula suggest the company is firmly facing forward, but there is also room to suggest that the company should also be looking backwards.
Premature Release
One problem that the LEGO: The Hobbit game now faces echoes an issue that plagued [/size]LEGO Indiana Jones all the way back in 2008. The date of release for the ill-fated installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, came a mere month prior to the LEGO Indiana Jones game and the content was conspicuously absent. LEGO: The Hobbit only follows the adventure through The Desolation of Smaug, which leaves the events of The Five Armies hanging in the balance. WB and TT Games had two distinct paths before them: release a standalone title akin to Lego Indiana Jones 2, which was a major source of discontent with their fanbase, or embrace the digital age.
In an unsurprising move, WB and TT Games chose the latter, announcing that The Five Armies conclusion will be available as downloadable content. This does not rule out the potential for a "Complete Edition" with all available Hobbit content or even a "Tolkien Edition" that includes both franchises on a single disc, but this is certainly a step in the right direction as it leaves the door open for franchises with the most content-hungry fans.
From Cooperative To Party
Another aspect of the licensed LEGO formula which remains static is the number of players. Several franchises exist which could greatly benefit from expanding the number of players to four. The solid online capabilities offered from consoles could allow for even greater drop-in and drop-out game play. So why not make it a party?
What better franchise to begin the four player experience than with a LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle game? A
featuring LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a voice over from the Nickelodeon reboot cropped up on Youtube in June of 2013. The video, sitting at over a million hits, led many to ponder the possibility of this fantasy becoming a reality through video games... assuming certain licensing issues did not prevent such marvelous ideas from coming to fruition.
Online capabilities, expanded cooperative experiences and major story downloadable content are just a few areas which licensed LEGO games could easily explore in the future. Questions can be raised when it comes to the direction of TT Games, but if LEGO Marvel Superheroes and LEGO City Undercover are examples of the quality we can expect from the next generation of LEGO games, then this is one gamer who will remain anxiously excited.
What changes would you like to see in new LEGO titles? What licensed franchises would you love to see tackled by TT Games?

Dead Island 2 was only announced just three weeks ago but Deep Silver seem to be heavily investing in this particular universe as another new entry was announced today, Escape Dead Island, for release this Fall.
As you might have guessed, Escape will serve to bridge the stories of the first and second Dead Island games, and Deep Silver's Alexander Toplansky has confirmed that it will also explain the origins of the virus as well as where the events might lead to.
The story will be told through the eyes of Cliff Calo—the spoiled son of a powerful media mogul—who has stolen a yacht with his friends and is bent on exposing the truth behind the Banoi outbreak to the public by filming a documentary.
You'll freely explore a new, top-secret, quarantined island in the archipelago called Narapela, but things won't necessarily be as they seem as Cliff slowly loses a grip on his sanity and begins to experience stranger things than just zombies. Also, Cliff's moments of delirium are actually shown through comic-inspired visuals to give these parts an added emphasis. Of course, you'll have to wait until the game releases this Fall to discover what exactly is going on with the island, and what becomes of Cliff.
Escape Dead Island is slated for release later this year on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. You can view the teaser trailer for the game below.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Are you interested in Escape Dead Island?

Earlier today, Microsoft revealed to IGN that Forza Horizon 2 would be releasing later this year for both Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Xbox One development is being handled by the first Horizon's developer, Playground Games, though they're working closely with Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios on a shared technology pipeline and such. They'll also be using Forza Motorsport 5's graphics engine as a baseline for Horizon 2.
Sumo Digital (of Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed fame) is revealed to be working on the Xbox 360 version of the game, which will be built off of Horizon 1's engine. Horizon 2 is also slated to have extensive improvements and features as well as taking place in Southern Europe around a music festival.
Expect to hear more information about Forza Horizon 2 from Microsoft at E3 next week.
Source: IGN
Are you excited to hear that another Forza game is coming this year?

Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: May 13 (PS3, PC), May 14 (360)
ESRB: M for Mature
[Note: At this point, I cannot avoid some spoilers to Season 2 Episodes 1 and 2; reader beware. There are no substantial spoilers to Episode 3 in this review.]
The Walking Dead: Season 2 has reached its midpoint, and things are really starting to heat up for Clementine and the survivors. They are captured by Carver and taken to his community, which is more of a prison state than a place to call home. As tensions rise and the survivors have to deal with the past as well as the present, Clementine has to find a way to escape from the community, with the group in tow.
Episode 3: In Harm's Way brings a new type of tension to Telltale's The Walking Dead series. Before, the survivors were only really worried about survival against the zombie hordes; now, the survivors have to deal with the possibly more dangerous threat of Carver himself. He makes for a great antagonist, really; while he is clearly half-crazed and not afraid to kill, it's also clear that he truly cares about the community he has built up, and believes that his methods are the only way to keep it all together.
This creates for a different episode than the norm; you don't really feel a great threat from the walkers for the most part, as you do in the other episodes; instead, the threat is from other humans, and the tempers they may or may not have. That also means there's an overall lack of action in this episode, but it also allows for a good deal of characterization.
In Harms Way also has a great deal of brutality. While the series has never shied away from gore and death, this new setting takes things to a new psychological level. Carver's methods are sure to leave a bad taste in your mouth, and some of the decisions you yourself have to make may make your stomach do flips. None of these scenes feel particularly forced in, either; they have distinct reasons, and aren't there just to unsettle players.
Also, those that played the special 400 Days episode are finally able to see what happened to the survivors that left to come to (what was apparently) Carver's community. Rather unfortunately, though, these survivors only make a short, rather unneeded appearance. The only survivor from the 400 Days group to take a substantial role is Bonnie, who is also the only survivor guaranteed to go to the community in the extra episode. It's a shame that Telltale couldn't integrate the other survivors beyond a mere cameo appearance, and a disappointing part of an otherwise great episode.
Another sticking point turns up involving the survivors that may have ended up dead in Episode 2. I stated in my review that I felt some of these characters may have died depending on my actions, and Episode 3 shows that this may have been true; however, Telltale makes this obvious by the way the characters in question have been treated in the dialogue. One of the above characters gets taken away from the group early on in the episode, and ends up being left behind near the end due to various reasons.
The other character—while still being quite alive, still with the group, and previously being a person that caused a fair amount of tension—has next to no lines in Episode 3, and those few lines have no weight to the narrative whatsoever. This could be written off due to the character's shock at certain events, but it comes off more as lazy writing on Telltale's part. It's unfortunate that the characters couldn't have a little more weight behind them actually being alive, and players that found issue with Season 1's deceptively linear narrative are also going to find this treatment in Season 2 to be rather disappointing.
While these issues do detract a bit from the episode's overall quality, that doesn't completely discount the fact that In Harm's Way offers an interesting and exciting continuation of the story of our pre-teen survivor. If you're willing to forgive the little hiccups, The Walking Dead: Season 2 Episode 3 will give you an engaging and rather interesting two-hour ride.
Pros:
+ A slower pace and relatively safe location give for plenty of characterization opportunities
+ Carver is a great, intriguing antagonist
Cons:
- 400 Days cast is largely unimportant
- The narrative is starting to give hints that perhaps this season's plot is linear, as well
Overall Score: 7.5 (out of 10)
Good
In Harm's Way is a great episode that offers plenty of room for tension and drama as we work towards its conclusion, but there's no getting away from the nagging disappointments that make the narrative feel as though your choices do not matter.
Disclosure: This game was reviewed using downloadable code provided by the publisher.

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